"Rajnar Vajra - Passing the Arboli Test" - читать интересную книгу автора (Vajra Rajnar)

you though it should fall -- quite visible. And most revealing. That is how
our science works."
"Christ!"
"No. We cannot judge based on a Christ. We needed a person of your
exact suchness: dishonest and devious. Not a saint, nor a monster or animal.
Just a greedy, selfish human intelligent enough to see the true danger. A high
Profile specimen. How else to learn if the possibility of redemption exists in
the spirit of your species? Now we know. You sacrificed personal advantage to
save someone who was essentially a stranger. We are well satisfied."
I nodded slowly. "I'm beginning to get it. But tell me this: how the




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hell can you seriously think that a pile of leftover cereal crumbs reveals a
damn thing?"
"How can it not? Everything is pattern. And any system of studying
pattern will show truth of those with minds to discern."
"If you say so." I was feeling uneasy. How _had_ the Arboli determined
what kind of person I was? Then I remembered something. "Sorry, I forgot to
mention it: some people out front were worried because they noticed smoke
coming out of an upstairs window."
"The smoke is proper."
I'd figured that. But what if it had really been a fire? After entering
the house, I hadn't given the matter a second thought. I was truly one
self-involved jerk. Another thought occurred to me.
"So the business of the Reward is just a crock?"
My host made several loud creaking noises -- the laughter of trees?
"The mushrooms weren't real, but the Reward is, along with the generous five
hundred American dollars. We will provide you the four basic principles behind
Arboli Rootcraft; your species will easily grow the rest. Just now, the
information has been transmitted to the data system in your home forest. Soon
we will leave this planet to await your coming -- at your own growth rate --
to join us among the life-giving stars."
I didn't know what to say. Within a span of two hours, my life had
utterly changed. I had changed. I could see this opportunity was too important
of one person to handle, especially a selfish greedy son-of-a-bitch like me.
I'd work with Beth Robinson and HIMSA -- why the hell not?
Out of the blue, I knew exactly where the Arboli had found Tina. No
wonder she'd been so small. I hadn't listened to my conscience in a long, long
time.

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